Karimnagar: Farmers protest near Manthani for water

armers from Mallepalli and Pochammavada staged the protest and threatened to die by suicide by consuming pesticides if water was not supplied to their field from SRSP canal.

KARIMNAGAR: Farmers holding pesticide bottles staged a dharna and rasta roko on Manthani-Godavarikhani main road near Mallepally on Tuesday, demanding officials to provide water to their standing crops through SRSP canal.

Farmers from Mallepalli and Pochammavada staged the protest and threatened to die by suicide by consuming pesticides if water was not supplied to their field from SRSP canal. Traffic came to a standstill for a while as the farmers sat on the road in protest. Police tried to clear the traffic by convincing the agitating farmers. However, they refused to withdraw their protest and demanded Transco and Irrigation officials to meet them and give an assurance for supply of water to their fields.

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Though the police assured to take four of them to irrigation officials, they denied. Speaking to the media, the farmers alleged that the Minister and officials had assured adequate water through the SRSP canal. However, water was not supplied though about 1800 acres of land was being cultivated under the canal in the area.

Except for some quantity of water being supplied from Singareni coal mines, there was no supply of water through the canal. Stating that crops had withered due to lack of water, they demanded the government to release water through the SRSP canal immediately.

They later withdrew the protest when irrigation EE Balaramaiah assured water to the standing crops. Tail-end lands were not getting water as some farmers were drawing water by fixing motors on the canal, he said, assuring steps to supply water by removing the motors.